Reviews

With American Life having been a stateside failure, Madonna did what any smart businesswoman or politician would do: cut her losses and appealed to her constituency. In this case, that would be the (mostly gay) clubs that got her started way back in the late 70s/early 80s. Confessions on a Dancefloor isn’t just a fluffy piece of disco-pop. While it’s not quite at the level of Like a Prayer or ... read more

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Apparently there's nothing in Kabbalah that disallows sweaty, head-spinningly good dance music, because here comes a flame-haired Madonna hawking a dozen songs' worth: Confessions on a Dance Floor darts seamlessly from Madge's early days, when she emerged as the genre's enduring darling, through the political, kiddie, and acoustO
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Apparently there's nothing in Kabbalah that disallows sweaty, head-spinningly good dance music, because here comes a flame-haired Madonna hawking a dozen songs' worth: Confessions on a Dance Floor darts seamlessly from Madge's early days, when she emerged as the genre's enduring darling, through the political, kiddie, and acoustic pap that drove a wedge between her and early adopters of the fingerless glove look. Songs like the pop-leaning "Jump" and first single "Hung Up"--an adrenaline drip on high that, like many of these tracks, will inspire mild shame among those who've thrilled to the much thinner disco-dusted outpourings of younger divas recently--represent both a return to form and an unmistakable march into the future. "Get Together" is a sonic freak-out in the best sense; "Push" traffics in gut-level futuristic trance; and "Forbidden Love" loops in '80s blips and bleeps for a follow-me-into-the-past effect that's both neo and retro. For all the image-affirming innovations here, though, these confessions find Madonna framed in her share of reflective moments too. "Was it all worth it/How did I earn it?" she asks on "How High," a song featuring vocoder. "Nobody's perfect/I guess I deserve it," comes the answer. A later lyrical inquiry is left for the listener to judge: "Does this get any better?" Madonna wants to know. But that opens the door to a dizzying proposition. Few of us would have guessed, after all, that it got this good. --Tammy La Gorce

“With American Life having been a stateside failure, Madonna did what any smart businesswoman or politician would do: cut her losses and appealed to her constituency. In this case, that would be the (mostly gay) clubs that got her started way back in the late 70s/early 80s. Confessions on a Dancefloor isn’t just a fluffy piece of disco-pop. While it’s not quite at the level of Like a Prayer or Ray of Light, it is just a tiny bit below Music. To phrase that in non-fan terms: it’s a great album from the reigning Queen of Pop.

The opening shot of “Hung Up” remains one of her greatest moments as an artist. From that ABBA sample to those sassy lyrics, the Madonna from the 80s made a comeback and there’s no denying her. And “I Love New York” has a almost-Stooges flavor, ” read more